


All the Best Intentions

by morganskye



Category: The Real Ghostbusters
Genre: Experiment gone wrong, F/M, Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Mental Institution Abuse, Mental Institutions, Psychic Abilities, Psychological Horror, Psychological Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-01
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2019-12-30 11:51:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18314756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morganskye/pseuds/morganskye
Summary: Peter finally gets around to testing Janine for psychic abilities, which perks up Egon's interest in an experiment. Things go wrong (as they tend to always do) and Janine is left in a mental state that ultimately leaves her on the verge of insanity. The guys do all they can go bring her back, but is there anything left of her mind to save?Please check tags to be on the safe side.





	1. It was just a simple experiment...

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheMusicalCC](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMusicalCC/gifts).



       “Congrats J, you’re officially kinda sorta psychic,” Peter said as he put away his Zener cards. The guys had watched the test with more than a passing interest because she was getting them right nearly 80% of the time.

       “Sorta? Kinda? Care to be a little more exact?” Janine asked with a huff.

       “Well psychic abilities aren’t completely quantifiable, and no test is perfect.”

       “Then what was the point?”

       Peter shrugged. “It’s a good way to get a date with college girls?”

       Janine rolled her eyes. “Fantastic. You’re _super_ helpful.”

       “Aw, he’s just mad because you beat his score, never mind that he used marked cards,” Winston joked.

       Peter shot him a glare. “If you’ll excuse me I have some important business to attend to.”

       “Your napping blanket is in the dryer…” Janine deadpanned, making Winston and Ray cackle loudly. Peter flinched but didn’t respond.

       “Ah, Janine?” She turned to Egon. It was the first time he’d spoken since the experiment began. “I’ve been working on a serum that can enhance your abilities. I haven’t been able to find a subject to test it on however because no one has a high enough score...until now...but please don’t think you have to! I would never pressure you. It **is** experimental after all.”

       She smiled at how nervous he looked. “It’s ok Egon. I trust you. You’re best guess is better than some people’s sure thing.”

       He blushed slightly. “Thank you. Um, we can do it now if you like? You’ll drink a small vial and I’ll need to hook you up to a device that will send a few volts through your head.”

       “Will it hurt?”

       “No, but your hair will frizz.”

       She sighed. “Good thing I was planning on deep conditioning it tonight anyway. Alright, let’s do it!”

 

       The serum vial that Egon handed her wasn’t very big and the contents tasted like slightly rotten strawberries. She drank some water while he settled a metal hat on her head and tweaked some dials on the control box it was attached to. She noticed that the lever marked ‘power’ was set to 2 out of 10.  

       “Is this the thing you used on Louis ages ago?”

       “Mmm, yes, but modified. Now when I turn this on you might feel a bit of an electrostatic sensation, but like I said it won’t hurt. Ready?”

       “As I’ll ever be.”

       When he powered up the machine Janine felt a slight tingle on the back of her neck but otherwise nothing much. She heard him counting down the seconds until he would turn it off and test her. Just as he was reaching for the off switch Slimer burst through the lab door, babbling loudly and holding a ecto-covered pale blue blanket. Peter was hot on his heels and angry as hell.

       “GIVE ME BACK MY BINKIE YOU OVERGROWN BLOB OF MUCUS!!!”

       Slimer flew around the room trying to stay away from Peter, the blanket trailing behind him.

       “Slimer! Peter! Not now!! I’m in the middle…”

       As the spud flew by the control box the tail end of the blanket snagged the power lever, throwing it from 2 to 10. Instantly a bolt of electricity shot to Janine, making the metal helmet glow blue as she screamed in pain then passed out. Both Peter and Slimer stopped in their tracks while Egon frantically shut the machine off. As soon as the power was cut he ripped the helmet from her head, singeing his hands from the heat.  

       “Janine?? JANINE!” he cried as she shook her. There was no response.

       “Check her heart!” Peter yelled as he ran out the door. “I’ll get the others.”

       Egon did and nearly passed out himself when he couldn’t find a heartbeat. He straddled her and started doing chest compressions when Peter returned with Ray and Winston.

       “Help me!!”

       Winston knelt down and gave Janine CPR while Ray called 911. Peter stood away from the action so he wasn’t in the way, but stayed alert in case they needed something.

       “Paramedics are on the way,” Ray said. “Pete can you go wait for them downstairs?”

       He nodded and dashed off, grateful for something to do.

       “Come on Janine...please…” Egon huffed, never stopping compressions.

       Winston was about to give her more CPR when she suddenly took a deep breath, her eyes popping open.

       “Janine!” he cried and signaled for Egon to stop. The blonde leaned down to look at her.

       “Are you ok??” he asked frantically. She smiled up at him weakly.

       “I am since I woke up with you like this.”

       He was so relieved that he didn’t even stammer or blush, but he did quickly get off of her so he could pull her into a hug.

       “I thought...WE thought we lost you,” he murmured.

       “Never,” she whispered, trying to hold him back but not finding the strength. “I’m really tired though.”

       “Don’t worry. There’s an ambulance on the way. You’re going to be fine I promise,” Ray said, giving the guys a thumbs up.

       Egon nodded, still holding their secretary and refusing to let go until the medics arrived. They took her in to get checked out, but were optimistic since she was awake and responding to questions well.

       “Good thing you started working on her right away. It makes a difference,” a woman told Egon. “I know you’re anxious, but wait about an hour before coming down to the hospital. You wouldn’t be able to see her before then anyway.”

       They took her advice and waited a bit before heading down. It gave Peter time to berate Slimer and Egon to get his nerves under control.

       “I could have killed her Ray…”

       “What happened wasn’t your fault Iggy. Accidents happen. She knows that.”

       “True, but I didn’t NEED to have the machine be that powerful. I could have made it max out at a lower level…”

       “Come on buddy. Thinking like that isn’t going to help anyone. Let’s go see how she’s doing, ok?”

       Egon smiled slightly at his friend and headed downstairs to get into Ecto-1.

 

       The hospital was a madhouse when they got there. Apparently there had been a huge accident just minutes before. It took awhile to find a nurse who could find where Janine was, but finally they were directed a few floors up to a quiet ward where Janine was recovering. The nurse for the floor told them that she was sleeping but they could see her. Peter volunteered to go first, probably because he felt just as guilty as Egon for what happened. He knocked softly but didn’t get a reply, so he pushed the door open gently. The room was dark, the only light coming from the window. The only sound was a steady beeping of Janine’s heart monitor which seemed to be going a little faster than it should have been if she was asleep.

       “Janine? You awake?”

       As Peter approached the bed he saw that she was curled up in a small ball. Her eyes were shut tightly and she was shivering as if it was cold, but the room was pleasantly warm.

       “Janine?”

       Peter gingerly reached out and shook her shoulder gently. This seemed to break whatever spell was on her. Her eyes popped open and she practically pawed at the man.

       “Are you real?” she asked frantically.

       “Geez J yeah…” His tone went from annoyed to concerned. She was clinging to him, her eyes wild. “What happened?”

       “I think...I _know_ the experiment worked but I think...I think it worked too well. I’m seeing things that can’t be right.”

       “Talk to me,” Peter said, settling down on the bed beside her while the guys quietly entered.

       “When I woke up I could see...shadows? Shadows. They weren’t ghosts. Well maybe they were. I could see them and hear them, but I don’t think they could see me?”

       She looked very anxious and scared to the point that Peter put an arm around her shoulders just to get her to relax a little. Janine leaned into him as if his touch was just what she needed.

       “Do you see them now?”

       She looked around, blinking. “No. I just see you and the guys.”

       “Hey Spengs, do you think maybe it’s an after affect of the experiment?”

       “It’s a strong possibility. I’ll need to run more tests, but if you’re not seeing anything now then I think the worst has passed. How do you feel?”

       “Tired. Really tired. Otherwise fine I guess.”

       “Alright. Well since you’re awake and at least a little sassy I think you’re going to be fine. We’ll let you sleep ok?” Peter said as he got up off the bed.

       “NO!” she cried, reaching for him. “Please don’t go!”

       He shot a look to the guys. “Ok Red, no problem. Tell you what, I’ll stay…”

       “No,” Egon said abruptly. “I’ll stay.”

       “Ooook Egon will stay and the rest of us will be back later alright?”

       She nodded, blushing. “I feel so stupid.”

       “Don’t Janine. We’re your friends,” Ray said softly. He walked over to the bed and kissed her forehead. “Get some rest. One of us will be here all the time.”

       “Thanks guys.”

       After Winston, Peter, and Ray left she tossed and turned trying to find a comfortable position. Egon, who was far more perceptive than most gave him credit for, moved his chair to sit right beside the bed and gently put a large hand over hers, squeezing. Instantly she calmed and fell into a deep sleep. For the rest of the day he stayed put, keeping his hand on hers no matter what.

 

       That first night Egon stayed with Janine, politely refusing any offers to take over by the guys. None of them pushed the issue since they knew Egon was taking the situation hard.

       “What do you think big guy?” Peter asked quietly when he brought his friend dinner.

       “I’m not sure but I’m worried. She won’t sleep unless someone is physically touching her. I’ve read in several books that some high level psychics require human contact in order to stay grounded in the real world. If this has happened to Janine...well...”

       “We’ll figure it out. Here let me sit there so you can go to the bathroom and eat.”

       “I’m not leaving,” Egon said, his attention on the sleeping patient.

       “I didn’t say leave. I said eat and pee. That’s different.”

       Egon couldn’t argue that, particularly since his body was complaining LOUDLY. Taking a moment he refreshed himself then scarfed down the club sandwich and chips Peter brought him. In less than 10 minutes he was back in his chair and holding Janine’s hand.

       “So tell me...are you doing this because you feel bad or because you’re loving the solo time with our favorite redhead?”

       Egon tried to glare at Peter but his heart wasn’t in it. “Of course I blame myself! If I hadn’t asked her to do this for me she’d be fine, and the only reason she did it is because...well…”

       “You think she asks ‘how high’ if you ask her to jump?”

       The blonde nodded, frowning slightly.

       “Iggy, Janine isn’t like that. Yes she thinks you hung the stars in the sky, but if she’s not keen on something she won’t do it. I mean, have you EVER seen her do something she didn’t want to do? Or at least complain about it loudly and try to weasel a raise at the same time?”

       “No, I suppose not.”

       “Look buddy, she likes you a LOT, so yeah she probably is a little too eager at times, but that doesn’t make her any less intelligent and alert. If she was worried she wouldn’t have done it. So stop second guessing yourself, ok? Besides, you have bigger fish to fry.”

       “Meaning?”

       “If your experiment worked, and they almost always do, then our lovely secretary is about to need all the help we can give her,” Peter said, looking down at the sleeping woman.

       Egon nodded but didn’t comment otherwise. He knew Peter was right, something he hated admitting.

 

       The next day Janine was released from observation with instructions to take at least three days off from work to recover. Her mother insisted she come home to relax and be pampered, which Janine was grateful for. Sleeping at the hospital had been awful, even with Egon there to chase the spirits away. There was always something soothing about going home…

 

       The phone at the Firehouse rang shrilly at 2 am that night. It took a bit for Ray to wake up enough to get out of bed and answer since he assumed it was a regular call.

       “Ghostbusters,” he mumbled sleepily. “Mrs. Melnitz?! What...oh geez! We’ll be right there!”

       Racing back to the bunk room he clicked on the lights and hollered for the guys to get up.

       “That was Janine’s mom! She said there’s something wrong! We gotta move!”

       In minutes the guys were up, dressed, and screaming down the early morning street with Ecto’s siren blaring. When they pulled up outside of The Melntiz family home, there were already two cop cars and a small crowd of people there.

       “Officer! What’s going on?” Winston asked.

       “Some lady had a freak out. Tried to run out of the apartment building. You here to bust somethin’?”

       “Yeah. Can we go in?” Peter asked casually.

       “Yup, have fun.”

 

       Peter didn’t bother knocking on the door before coming into the apartment. Janine was sitting on the living room sofa, sobbing, while her parents sat beside her trying to comfort her. As soon as he saw her, Egon rushed over and kneeled in front of her.

       “Janine?” he asked, taking her hands. “What happened?”

       ‘Oh Egon it was awful!!” she cried, flinging her arms around him. “I could see all these shadows. Voices were whispering to me, telling me things. Some were ok but some were horrible! They were talking about things they did or things that were done to them. I couldn’t make any sense of it though because they were all talking at once.”

       Egon nodded to Ray, who went straight for Janine’s room with his PKE meter.

       She pulled back, still crying. “Am I crazy?”

       “No,” he said firmly. “You’re not crazy. This is just a reaction to the accident…”

       “Accident??!” her mom hissed. “You didn’t say you were in an accident!”

       “I didn’t want you to worry…”

       “Of course we worry kitten. You’re our little girl,” he dad said soothingly.

       “Yeah but…”

       “No buts. Janine Melnitz you are going right to your room and getting some more rest. You’ve got the whole building in a tizz! And you!” Mrs. Melnitz yelled, turning on Egon. “You have a lot to answer for young man!”

       “But…!”

       “I said no buts! Shoo! Get out! Our baby needs her sleep and she DOESN’T need you nutty boys getting her riled up and shooting her with those gun things of yours!”

       “They’re proton packs ma’am, and we’d never hurt Janine,” Ray said as came back into the living room, but Momma Melnitz was having none of it.

       “I don’t care! Go!!”

       She physically hustled the guys out the door, slamming it in their faces as Janine protested.

       “Guess we got told,” Winston said, shrugging.

       “Anything in her room?” Egon asked.

       “Not a peep. Not sure what she’s seeing or hearing, but it isn’t paranormal,” Ray said. “But we all know there’s more than that in the world. Wish we could have gotten more time.”

       “We’ll come back tomorrow. Don’t worry boys. I know just how to make moms love me,” Peter smirked.

 

       Unfortunately they weren’t able to visit for another two days. When they did, with flowers and chocolates in hand, Mrs. Melnitz refused to let them in.

       “She’s a wreck! I don’t know what you did to her, but she can barely sleep, hardly eats, and jumps at every little noise. I have to share a bed with her just so she’ll get some rest. I hope you’re happy!” she snapped as she swiftly gathered up the gifts. “Now leave before you wake her up.”

       The door was again slammed in their faces.

       “This is bad guys,” Ray frowned as they walked down the stairs to leave.

       “I’m going to go over my experiment again. There has to be something that explains this. It would be easier if Janine was here to…”

       “Guys!!”

       They turned and saw Janine running after them. Even at a distance she looked bad. Her face was waxen and there were deep circles under her eyes. She tried to smile at them, but it looked more like a grimace.

       “Sorry about my mom.”

       “That’s ok. She’s just watching out for you. How’re you feeling?” Winston asked.

       “Worn out but fine. I can’t just lie there and sleep anymore. I want to come with you guys to the Firehouse...maybe help Egon fix all this?” she asked hopefully.

       “That would be most appreciated.”

       “Great! Let’s go. Mom doesn’t know I snuck out.”

       “Ooooh boy,” Peter laughed. “We’re going to get an earful I just know it!”

 

       They did, but Janine talked her mom down from calling the National Guard by pointing out that she wasn’t getting any better by staying home so she might as well earn a paycheck.

       “Fine, but you come home the moment you need us, ok?”

       “Ok Ma. Love you.”

       “So are we on her hit list?” asked Winston as Janine hung up the phone.

       “Yeah, but she’ll get over it. You guys have a bust downtown so you’d better get going.”

       “On it!”

 

       It was almost five when the guys got back to the Firehouse. Immediately they knew something was wrong.

       “Janine’s not at her desk…” Egon said.

       “Yeah, and Slimer is pawing at the bathroom door like a dog wanting out,” Winston added.

       As soon as Ecto was parked they got out and headed to the green booger floating outside the bathroom door.

       “What is it buddy? Is Janine in there?” Ray asked.

       Slimer nodded his head and called Janine’s name. Egon knocked softly on the door.

       “Janine? Are you alright?”

       There was a muffled response but he couldn’t understand what she said. Trying the knob he found it was unlocked so he cautiously went in. The light was off, making the little windowless room pitch black. He called her name again as he clicked on the light. When Egon spotted her he made a distressed moan and lurched forward. Janine had somehow wedged herself in between the wall and the toilet. She had pulled herself into a tight ball and was shivering like it was below freezing. Her eyes were shut tight. Egon could just barely make out what she was saying.

       “It’s not real. It’s not real. It’s not real.”

       Egon slowly reached his hand out to her arm and said her name again. As soon as they made contact her eyes snapped open.

       “Egon?” she asked tearfully. “Is it really you? Please let it be you. I can’t take it if it isn’t you!!”

       “It’s me I swear,” he answered quietly. “Come on out. Please?”

       She timidly reached for him. He carefully pulled her out as if she was a small child scared of a thunderstorm.

       “Did it happen again?”

       She nodded. “It was even worse this time because I could see you guys too...even Slimer...but you couldn’t see me. The Firehouse looked like a bomb had gone off. Everything was a mess and our equipment was missing, but you guys were still there. I called and called but you just ignored me and then...then the voices started. Just whispers at first but they got _louder_ and _louder_ and I just couldn’t take it anymore!! I had to hide!” she sobbed.

       Egon gave the guys a panicked look as he held her tightly.

       “You’re going to stay here until we get this worked out ok? I’m not going to stop until we figure out how to fix this.”

       She nodded weakly, leaning heavily against him.

       “Ray, you and Winston take readings of the entire Firehouse, top to bottom. I want to eliminate anything paranormal. Peter, will you put Janine in my bed and watch over her? I’m going to go to the lab and try to replicate the accident. Maybe I’ll find out something more.”

       Everyone agreed. Peter gently helped Janine up the stairs. When she stumbled the third time he easily swung her into his arms and carried her the rest of the way. Janine tried to make a joke but she was so exhausted she fell asleep halfway through. Unable to help himself, he kissed her forehead like a big brother would kiss a little sister as he tucked her into Egon’s bed.

       “How about I read to you?” he asked the sleeping lady. “I just got Dewey Lamort’s latest book, _Boot Hill Bandits Ride Again_. If you have any questions just ask.”

       He settled down beside the bed, slipped off his boots, and put his bare feet against her calf. Janine seemed to relax in her sleep so he started reading.

       “It was a dark and dusty night as Steven ‘Six Guns’ Malloy made his way into town…”

 

       “I can’t figure it out. There’s no residue, no active hauntings, no nothing that would explain what she’s seeing and hearing,” Ray said between bites of dinner.

       “Yeah, particularly since we’re not ghosts and she says she saw us,” Winston agreed as he ate.

       “Well not at the moment at least…” The two men gave Egon a flat look. “I just meant that I’ve been a ghost before so...anyway...Janine has always claimed to have a 6th sense. I think what’s happening is that her psychic abilities have increased so much that she has pre and retro-cognition.”

       “Huh and what?”

       “Precognition is seeing the future. Retro is seeing the past, only it sounds like maybe she’s seeing both at the same time. It could explain a few things, like seeing HQ as a wreck. It was pretty bad when we moved in,” Ray explained.

       “Or maybe she’s seeing the future and something nasty happened,” Winston added. “Either way, this is driving her batty. What can we do Egon?”

       “I...I don’t know…I looked over all my notes and readings but so far I haven’t figured it out.”

       “Shame we can’t just shock her again. It always works in the movies.”

       “Yeah! We could try that!” Ray said excitedly.

       “NO!” Egon yelled, standing and slamming his hands on the table. “I will NOT hurt her again!”

       “Ok big guy, calm down. We were only joking…” Winston said, hands up in surrender.

       “We were?”

       “Shut it Ray. We’ll help you look for an answer, and we promise not to hook her up to the machine again, alright? Now finish your dinner. We’ve got a long night ahead.”

 

       Back in the bunk room Peter had drifted off to sleep. As he shifted in his sleep his feet fell off the bed, losing contact with Janine. In moments she started shaking and sweating as the voices came back to her.

 

_it’s not fair not fair not fair_

_NOT_ **_good_ ** _Girls should be_ **_gooooood_ **

_RING AROUND THE rosey POCKET FULL OF posies_

_I did it once I can do it again and again and AGAIN AND AGAIN AND_

_Why won’t he love me? He needs to love_ **_ME!!!_ **

**_he’s not waking up why won’t he wake up he’s not waking up why won’t he wake up he’s not waking up why won’t_ **

_If I don’t make a sound she won’t find me…_

**_HELP ME!!!! WHY WON’T YOU HELP ME??!!_ **

 

       “Janine! Wake up!!”

       She was shaken awake by Winston who had her by the arms.

       “Wha...what’s going on?”

       “You were sleepwalking. A few more steps and it would have gotten worse…”

       They both looked down. She was just feet from the opening for the fire pole. Janine gasped in alarm and clung to Winston for support as her legs buckled.

       “Oh geez...I almost…”

       “Don’t think about it. Come on, let’s get you back to bed.”

       He helped her get back into Egon’s bed and woke Peter up so he could watch over her. As soon as she was settled he dashed up the stairs to the lab.

       “Janine’s sleepwalking. I just stopped her from taking a dive into the garage.”

       Egon paled, but nodded and went back to his work. Ray was snoozing on the sofa they kept just for that purpose.

       “I’ve got Peter up again and watching her. So, any luck?”

       “Not as yet. It’s maddening! I can’t replicate the experiment so I can’t do more research. All I know for sure is that it’s not paranormal so I can’t just bust it and get it over with!!” In a fit of uncharacteristic rage he threw his notebook across the room and broke a few beakers. Winston stood back and let him work it out. Ray slept through the whole thing. “It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t asked…”

       “You done? Because this isn’t helping her,” Winston said coldly. “Your pity party only helps you. She’s falling to pieces so FOCUS!”

       “Wait. What did you say?”

       “Uh, I told you to focus?”

       “Yes! Focus!”

       Egon grabbed a fresh notebook and started scribbling away. Winston shrugged.

       “Anything that gets results,” he chuckled and went to go give Peter a break.

 

       Around dawn Ray, refreshed from his nap, lead Egon away from his work table to the rec room sofa so he would hopefully take a nap. Peter was also in bed while Winston took over Janine Duty. She only woke up occasionally to go to the bathroom or eat something, but she preferred to be asleep. The guys couldn’t blame her because being awake and alone meant that she would see or hear whatever it was that was tormenting her.

       Time ticked on as the day passed. Peter took over for Winston and Egon was back in the lab. Janine was up and moving around, but she wouldn’t go anywhere without someone holding her hand. She made jokes about how she was a lucky sister with so many brothers, or how she was some kind of princess to be tended to by four knights. She was sitting with Peter while they watched a cheesy spaghetti western on tv.

       “Hey, do you hear something?” Janine asked, looking up at the ceiling. Seconds later there was an ear-splitting explosion coming from Egon’s lab. They both tried to run upstairs, but a thick, acidic smoke was flowing down the steps like a fog on the move.

       “Get downstairs!” Peter yelled, covering his mouth. “I’ll look for Spengs!”

       Janine nodded and bolted just as Ray and Winston joined Peter to look for Egon. Thankfully while the smoke was bad, it was heavy enough to stay close to the floor. They were able to get into the lab and find Egon quickly. Luck was still on their side because he had passed out at his table, which kept him above the smoke. Ray grabbed a fire extinguisher and put out the equipment that had exploded while Peter and Winston (in a moment of true genius) took Egon up to the roof to get away from the smoke.

       Winston pounded Egon on his back to get him to start breathing the cool, clean air.

       “That’s it big guy. In and out,” he coached as Egon hacked and coughed.

       A few minutes later Ray joined them, also coughing from the thick smoke. They all sat in a circle, just breathing.

       “So what happened Spengs?” Peter asked.

       “I was working on a solution to Janine’s problem...wait, where is she??”

       Egon was up and on his feet in a flash, but the guys were just as quick and stopped him from going back into the Firehouse since there was still smoke pouring out.

       “She’s downstairs. I’m sure she left the building and is just waiting for us to give the all-clear,” Peter said with more confidence than he felt.

       “Uh, guys?” Winston said from the edge of the roof. He was point down at the street. “I think we have a problem.”

       When they rushed over they saw Janine wandering through street traffic, stumbling like she was drunk. Cars and trucks had to swerve to avoid her, all of them honking in anger. She continued to walk, her arms out as she tried to grab onto someone, anyone, who could help ground her in reality as visions of the past and future bombarded her senses.

       “Please…” she begged, her arms out to anyone she thought might be real. “Please help me…”

       All around her were shadows of people who were already dead and those who weren’t born yet. Janine’s head was throbbing in pain as she tried to stay upright. The whispering voices were getting louder and nothing she did made them go away.

 

_Thinks he can steal from ME DOES HE??_

**_i can do it i will kill them i am the strongest_ **

 

_...you are my sunshine my only sunshine you make me happy when skies are gray_

 

_Not alone. Not like this. Please not alone!!_

**_5:30 wake up_ ** _6:00 go to bed_ **_6:30 wake up_ ** _7:00 go to bed_

_Everyone loves me because I’m the best. I’m the best because everyone loves me._

_NO ONE WILL SAVE YOU FROM ME_ **_NO ONE WILL SAVE YOU!!!_**

 

       She fell to her knees in the middle of the street, sobbing. She could barely hear the honks and yells as she tried to keep her sanity.

       “Please help me,” she cried quietly.

       “Miss? I need you to come with me.”

       She looked up and saw a police officer. His uniform looked current, and he had a hand outstretched to her. Cautiously she reached out and nearly moaned with relief when she felt his warm skin. The officer helped her up and into the back of a waiting cruiser.

       “Everything is going to be alright miss. We’re taking you to see some people who can help.”

       Janine nodded weakly. She was exhausted and very grateful that they were taking her back to the Firehouse. The guys would help. Her eyes closed as they drove so she never noticed that they were going the wrong way.

       Egon watched the patrolmen load Janine into the car and drive off. He wanted to scream and wave his hands but he knew they wouldn’t see him. Instead he leapt onto the fire escape and nearly flew down the steps until he was at ground level. It didn’t matter however because the cruiser was long gone. In a fit of rage he kicked at the wall of the Firehouse until his toes throbbed. By then the guys had made it down to him.

       “We’ll get her back Iggy,” Ray said, trying to be helpful.

       “We don’t even know where they’re taking her!”

       “No worries! We’re the Ghostbusters! Everyone in city hall owes us a favor or two,” Peter chirped. “Soon as we can get to the phones we’ll know where she is. Heck, they’ll probably even bring her back with a full police escort.”

       “Yeah, of course. She’ll be back soon,” Egon said, his voice thick with concern and doubt. “She’ll be back before we know it...”


	2. Make the Voices Stop

       Where ever Janine was was dark and so quiet it felt like her ears were humming. She was lying on the floor...no on a blanket? On something softish...

       “Hello? Anyone?” 

       Her throat felt like someone had forced sand down it. There was no response to her calls so she tried to sit up, but something was pinning her arms to her sides. 

       “Hello?! Please??”

       In the distance she heard heavy thumping footsteps approaching so she called out some more. After what felt like an eternity the light in her room was clicked on. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, and what she saw nearly drew a cry from her lips. All around her were padded walls. What she thought was a blanket was more padding over the floor. She was wearing a straight jacket that was drawn tightly around her body. 

       “What?” a harsh voice asked. 

       Janine looked up at the now open door. A tall, beefy orderly was in the entryway glaring at her. 

       “Please. Where am I? Where are the guys?”

       “Lady I don’t know what guys you’re talking about but shut your mouth and go back to sleep. Doc’ll be around in the morning.”

       “No, no you don’t understand! I’m not crazy I’m just...having a bad time…”

       She lurched awkwardly to her feet and tried to walk to him, but in seconds she was back on the floor with a meat hand pinning her shoulder down. 

       “Brucie! We got a nutter!” he called loudly. 

       A moment later another orderly, this one a well built man with kind eyes, came in with a syringe. 

       “No! No please! I’ll be quiet I promise!” she cried, struggling against the first man’s grip. 

       “Sorry ma’am. Just lie still and you’ll be in dreamland,” the second man said. 

       The needle hurt, but only for a moment. 

 

       Janine didn’t know if it was day or night. Her padded cell had no windows, not even in the door. She was given mushy food to eat but they didn’t free her hands so she hand to literally stick her face in the bowl to slurp up whatever they brought her. After lunch her jacket and clothing were changed and she was harshly bathed, then redressed and thrown back into her cell. 

       The ‘meeting’ with the doctor lasted all of two minutes. As soon as Janine mentioned the voices the man nodded, listed off some drugs to the nurse with him, and left. No one would listen to her about the Ghostbusters or the experiment. 

       “Please! At least call them!!”

       But all this got her was another shot and another few hours of oblivion. At least there the voices couldn’t reach her...for now... 

 

       Mr. and Mrs. Melnitz were sitting in a well appointed office just on the edge of Letchworth Village. From the large picture windows they could see the main building as well as lovely well-tended gardens. If a person didn’t know it was a mental institution they would think it was a university or elite retreat. 

       When Dr. MacNeill entered, apologizing for his lateness, the Melnitz’ thanked him for his time. He made Frank a little uneasy although he couldn’t say why. 

       “Doctor, what’s wrong with my little girl? Why is she hearing voices and acting so funny?” he asked.

       “To be honest we’re not sure. Things like this take time. First we have to calm her down and make her realize we’re here to help her.”

       “So my baby could be here for weeks?” Doris asked, alarmed. 

       “Months would be more accurate,” Dr. MacNeill said matter-of-factly. “Most of our patients are here for the long term, but I have hope that Janine can be cured and sent home with you eventually.”

       “Eventually...oh my poor baby,” Doris said sadly.

       “Doctor, do you think this has anything to do with her working for the Ghostbusters?” 

       “Very likely. In fact I would recommend against her returning to that job. It’s quite possible they’re the root of the problem. I’ve banned them from coming to see her.”

       “Good! Those boys are troublemakers!” Doris cried. “They’ve done nothing but hurt my sweet girl!”

       “Honey they’re not bad guys! Besides, Janine loves her job…”

       “No Frank! They’re dangerous! I don’t want her anywhere near them ever again!!”

       Dr. MacNeill smiled slightly. In the heat of the moment none of them noticed how cold of an expression it was. 

       “I just need you to sign these papers giving Letchworth permission to treat your daughter, and I’ll make sure they can’t get anywhere near her.”

       Doris pounced on the documents, quickly signing away her rights to her child’s health and well being without knowing it. Frank was hesitant, but signed with a sigh. 

       “Can we see her?”

       “I’m afraid not. She’s still upset from the move. Come back in a few weeks. Now if you’ll excuse me I need to make my rounds.”

       Frank was a little put-out by how quickly the doctor came and went, but he was more upset with his wife. 

       “Doris…”

       “Don’t! I know what I’m doing and those hooligans will never see Janine again!!”

       Frank followed his wife out of the room, shaking his head but not quite sure what to do. 

 

       In another corridor Dr. MacNeill briskly walked to his real office, which was far more plush than the one he showed the family of inmates. It wouldn’t do for them to wonder where their money went after all…

       His assistant, Monica, was waiting for him with a stack of orders to be handled. She took the paperwork the Melnitz’ signed and put it on another stack. 

       “How did it go?”

       “Fine. The mother is spitting nails at the Ghostbusters, so it’ll be easy to keep the Melnitz woman here for a while. Helps that she’s actually disturbed,” he chuckled. “The longer she’s here the more we take in. And think, if we could actually fix her we could get good press...hmm...make sure the orderlies don’t rough her up like they do the others. If those ghost morons actually make it in somehow they have enough clout with government to cause problems.”

       “I’ll take care of it myself,” Monica said. 

       “Thanks.Oh, the inspectors are coming next week. Are the fake buildings ready?”

       “Yes sir. The calmer patients are going to be moved over tomorrow to give them time to acclimate.”

       “Good. The more we can keep those damn busy-bodies out of our hair the better.”

       “Anything else sir?”

       “Trust me, I’ll call,” he said with a lecherous wink. She grinned and left. 

 

       “She’s been gone for two weeks!!” Egon yelled, pacing like a cougar and nearly hissing at his teammates. 

       “We’re doing everything we can big guy,” Peter nearly whined. “I’ve called the mayor, police chief...everyone!”

       “We aren’t Janine’s next of kin Egon. They legally can’t talk to us,” Winston said, trying to reason with him. “And her parents don’t seem terribly keen on telling us what they know.”

       A phone call to the Melnitz home the day after Janine’s disappearance, and every few days since then. didn’t go very well. Mrs. Melnitz let them know very clearly that they were NOT to go near her daughter and NO she was NOT going to tell them where she was! 

       “What can we do? There has to be something!!”

       “Egon I…” Ray broke off as the phone rang. “Ghostbusters…”

 

       Bruce Williams had been working at Letchworth Village for about a year. He hated his job and hated the way the patients were treated. Most just needed someone to talk to or some basic meds to balance them out, not the scalding hydrotherapy, shock treatments, or beatings. People weren’t people in Letchworth, they were pieces of meat that brought in money. He wanted to quit, but he couldn’t. His mother was sick, one of the ones who needed real help. As long as he worked there he could make sure she was treated right and got the care she needed. Blessedly she had her own room in one of the far off buildings that was kept up to code so that when reporters and concerned family came the staff could pretend things were great. Dalia Williams didn’t speak or communicate with him, but he knew she was in there. 

       “Mama?” he said softly, kneeling beside her as she rocked in her chair. “Mama, I have to do something that’s probably going to get me in trouble. If I have to leave here, I’m taking you with me, ok? I’ll never leave you Mama.”

       She didn’t answer, but he could swear she squeezed his hand. 

       That night on his way home he stopped at a gas station with a payphone. 

       “...Hi...there’s this woman who keeps yelling for you...”

 

       The next evening, well after midnight, Egon and Winston were in the back of Bruce’s car hiding under some blankets as he drove up to the gates of Letchworth Village. They could hear him talking to someone after the car stopped. 

       “Yeah, I got a call that something’s up with Mama...yeah probably just a bad dream but I can’t  _ not _ come, ya know? Alright buddy see you later.”

       The car was in motion again and moving slowly up a bumpy road. 

       “First hurdle crossed,” Bruce said. “Keep hidden. I’m going to park close to the back where the outside lights are busted. Management can’t be bothered to fix them because of  _ budget cuts _ .”

       There was a thick sneer in his voice. 

       “Be honest. What’s it like?” Winston asked.

       “Bad. Real bad man. People are cattle. They don’t get good food or help. Half the time they just throw a bunch into a room and let them wander around in their own filth. If it wasn’t for Mama I would be long gone, but health care is so expensive this is the only way I can take care of her and myself.”

       “We understand. Thank you for your help,” Egon said. “I promise, no one will know you did this for us.”

       “Thanks...ok I’m parked. Wait 5 minutes before you come out. She’s in room 113. Good luck.” 

       Bruce got out of the car and casually walked into the building to unlock the main doors for the two men, then headed off to see his mom so that his alibi would stick. Exactly five minutes later Egon and Winston calmly emerged from the car while wearing orderly scrubs. Quietly they headed inside. Thanks to the late hour they didn’t see any other staff, but they didn’t want to take chances so they moved quickly through the hallways until found the room Bruce told them Janine was in. Cautiously Egon opened the door and peeked inside. 

       “Janine?”

       A small, dark shadow skittered from one side of the room to the other as a beam of light from the hallway brightened the room. 

       “No voices. No voices. No voices,” a tiny voice mumbled. 

       Egon threw the door open all the way and clicked on the light. In the far corner Janine was huddled up into herself and looking away towards the wall. He could smell the night soil and vomit before he even walked into the room, but he didn’t care. In moments he was kneeling beside her, a cautious hand on her shoulder.

       “Janine?” 

       She flinched at his touch, not looking at him. “No voices I swear. Promise. Primrose.”

       “Janine...it’s Egon. We’ve come to get you out of here.”

       “...Egon?” 

       When she turned to look at him his heart stopped. There were deep shadows under her eyes and her glasses were gone. Her hair was a disgusting matted mess that smelled as bad as it looked. Her legs were uncovered even though it was freezing in the room, and he was revolted by the sores and bruises that covered them. 

       “Yes,” he whispered, his voice thick. He wanted to rip the damn straight jacket off of her and carry her out like a rescued princess. 

       “Please...help me…”

       “Egon, let’s go!” Winston whispered harshly. “Someone’s coming!”

       Gathering the woman in his arms, he easily lifted her up. Janine had lost at least 10 pounds in the short time she’d been there. After he left the room Winston turned off the light and shut the door so no one would know she was gone. They swiftly moved down the hall, easily dodging the night watchman and single orderly to get back outside. Bruce was already back in his car. As soon as he saw them he started it up. They piled into the back and he raced down the dark road, giving the gate guard only a brief nod. 

       As soon as they were out of sight of Letchworth Egon sat up and started trying to tear off the jacket with his bare hands. Silently Winston pulled out a small pocket knife and cut away at the straps holding her in. Janine was shaking and sobbing, desperate to touch her friends. When her arms were free Egon held her close and tight, oblivious to how badly she smelled. 

       “Egon...oh Egon…” she cried softly. “Thank you…”

       “Thank Bruce. We wouldn’t have known where to find you without him.”

       She gave the man a shaky smile even though he couldn’t see it since he was driving. 

       “Thank you.”

       “You can thank me by speaking out against this place. No one who gets out is in their right mind but you? You could change things.”

       “Right now the only thing I want to change is my clothes,” she laughed weakly. Egon pressed a kiss to the top of her greasy head. Feeling safe for the first time in a week she drifted off to sleep. 

 

       When she woke up she was on the backseat of Ecto-1, Egon’s strong arm around her shoulder. 

       “You were pretty out of it when we met up with the guys,” he said, going a little red. 

       “Yeah, I didn’t get any real sleep, just drug sleep,” she said, nodding her head. 

       “How are you feeling? Any voices or visions?” Ray asked from the front seat.

       “No, not so long as I’m touching someone,” she said, giving Egon a sly smile as she snuggled closer to him. He coughed and blushed, but held her a little tighter. 

       “We’ve been working on a way to reverse the effects of the experiment. However I’m not entirely sure that it will work…”

       “How sure are you?”

       “75.6%, but it’s improving. I just need a little more time.”

       “I believe in you Egon. Everything is going to be fine,” Janine said with a yawn. “Wake me when we get there…”

 

       After arriving at the Firehouse, Janine headed straight for the shower. 

       “I’ll sleep better if I’m clean,” she said.

       “Are you sure you’ll be ok? Alone I mean?” Egon asked, blushing slightly.

       “Hey if Red needs a shower buddy…” Peter started, but was cut off by Winston elbowing him in the ribs. 

       “I’ll be fine Egon but...will you stay close by?”

       “Of course. I’ll be right outside the door.” 

       The hot water felt amazing. It was like she’d been camping in the woods for years without so much as a dip in the river. Her skin had itched so much it was like bugs were crawling on her. Grabbing the bar of soap she lathered up once, twice, three times. Each time she felt more and more like herself. Reaching for the shampoo she poured a healthy amount into her hand and turned her head into a giant soap bubble. 

_        that’s mine… _

       She stopped cold, fingers in mid-lather. 

       “Hello?” Janine asked quietly. No answer.

       Returning to her work she told herself that they were just voices and that she wasn’t crazy. Egon would fix things soon. She didn’t see the shadow passing over the shower curtain because her eyes were closed as she rinsed off. 

_        that’s mine. you shouldn’t take what isn’t yours. _

       “You’re out of touch! I’m out of time! But I’m out of my head when you’re not around!!” Janine sang at the top of her voice. “ Reaching out for something to hold! Looking for a love where the climate is cold…”

 

       Egon was sitting on the edge of his bed, barely awake, when the sound of glass breaking and a fearful screech shook him. 

       “JANINE!!”

       Bolting into the bathroom he found her sitting in the tub, the shower curtain pulled down and around her as she shook and screamed. The mirror over the sink was shattered, razor sharp shards littering the floor. 

       “Janine! What’s wrong??”

       She looked up, still screaming, but her eyes looked right through him. Ray and Peter skidded to a stop outside the door behind him.

       “What happened?!”

       “I don’t know!! Janine! Talk to me!”

       “BLOOD AND VOICES!!! I can’t make them stop!!” she wailed, pressing her hands against her ears. 

       Egon leaned forward and put both of his hands on either side of her face, but the visions didn’t stop like they had before. Janine kept screaming, her eyes wide in terror as she stared at something they couldn’t see. 

       “What do I do??” Egon pleaded.

       “Slap her,” Peter said calmly. 

       “No! I won’t do that!”

       “It will snap her out of it. Do it Egon!”

       “I won’t hurt her more.”

       “It’s either that or…”

       Egon’s mouth thinned to a narrow line as he considered the alternative and went for it. Swiftly he covered her open mouth with his. In seconds her cries stopped as the physical connection severed whatever had scared her. When he pulled back she was crying, but it was in relief instead of terror. 

       “Thank you,” she whispered hoarsely. 

       “Are you alright now?” he asked softly. 

       She nodded, sniffing. “It’s quiet now.”

       Behind her Ray walked up and handed her a big towel. The guys turned their backs for privacy, and once she was decent Egon carried her to the rec room so she wouldn’t cut her feet on the glass. While Ray and Winston cleaned up the bathroom, Peter sat beside Janine and took her hand. 

       “You don’t have to talk about it now, but it would help,” Peter said softly. 

       “I want to talk about it. Everything looked so real. There was blood and gore on everything. I could hear the voices again but this time...this time the shadows could touch me…” Janine started shaking so Egon put an arm around her and pulled her close. She smiled at him gratefully, leaning close to him. “Whatever happened to me is getting stronger. It’s so hard to tell what’s real and what isn’t. I feel like I might really be losing my mind…”

       “We’ll fix this, I swear,” Egon said firmly. 

       “I know,” she nodded and gave him a brave smile. 

       “Welp, until then I think we should get some rest,” Peter said. “Hang tight Red.”

       He left the room, returning with a pair of his ‘Sunday Best’ (aka sweatpants and a t-shirt). 

       “Put these on while Ray and I go prep your bed,”

       Egon felt her tense up beside him. He put his cheek against her head which helped calm her. “I won’t leave you alone. Ever.”

       “I’m sorry I’m putting you through this.”

       “No, I’m the one who’s sorry. You wouldn’t be going through this if you hadn’t been helping me.”

       “I’ll always help you Egon,”

       He pulled back a bit so he could look her in the eyes. “Janine...I…”

       Just then Ray and Peter returned, each dragging a twin mattress behind them. 

       “Winston is staying with his parents for a few days so you get his bed. We figure you’ll need...ah...someone with you while sleeping so...um...” Ray couldn’t finish because he was so embarrassed.

       “They get the point Tex,” Peter smirked. 

       Between the two of them they got Winston and Egon’s mattresses made into a king size bed on the floor of the rec room. While they worked Janine quickly changed into Peter’s clothes, breaking contact with Egon as little as possible. By the time she was done the bed was made, which was good because it was quickly approaching 4am and everyone was exhausted. Peter and Ray made a quick exit as Egon and Janine settled down to sleep. Slipping off his jumpsuit so he was in his t-shirt and boxers, he laid down on his side, spooning up to Janine to give her as much body contact as possible. Egon thought he’d be embarrassed or shy, but relief over-road everything else. They both slept deeply and dreamlessly for hours. For Janine the voices stayed away, and Egon was happy knowing she was home and safe. 

 

       Late the next morning Peter gently roused them from sleep. 

       “Hey guys,” he said quietly. “Not to ruin the slumber party, but I think we need to start figuring things out so we can get you back to good, ok Janine?”

       She nodded sleepily and eased out of Egon’s arms. As soon as she lost contact with him she was hit with a wave of nausea as a sea of voices pounded into her head. Janine whined in pain and grabbed blindly for Egon. He wrapped her in his arms and pulled her back against in. As quickly as the voices came, they stopped. She nearly wept in relief. 

       “Damn...alright let’s try this. Here, take my hand.” She did while Egon still held her. “Iggy, let her go.”

       Peter smirked when he saw Egon’s reluctance but when the blonde finally did they were all more than pleased to find that Janine didn’t seem to hear anything. 

       “I guess this means if I let go I’m back at square one huh?” she asked sadly.

       “You won’t have to. We’ve all got you Red.”

       “Thanks Peter. Honestly.”

       He folded himself down onto the end of the bed and sat facing Janine and Egon. Once he saw that Peter was staying put he wrapped his arms around Janine again. 

       “I’m listening. Talk to me.”

       She was silent for a long moment. He could almost see the gears in her head moving.

       "Why does physical contact make things calm down for me?"

       "There's been a number of theories about that. Personally I think it has a grounding effect on you, particularly when it's someone you love and trust. Anyone could hold your hand and help you through it, but you'll get better results with one of us."

       "I guess that makes sense, plus I don't mind all the attention," she said, looking up at Egon. He blushed a bit but gave her a reassuring smile. Her flirty smile faded as she thought of more questions.

       “There’s a lot that I could probably handle with time. The voices and the things I see...it’s not great but if I can teach myself to recognize what’s real and what isn’t then I should be ok...but…”

       “But?”

       “The visions...am I seeing the future? The past?”

       “It’s hard to say. From what you’ve told us so far it seems like the past, but a few things I know haven’t happened yet so I’d say both. It’s also possible you’re seeing alternate universes or maybe a part of the world that is always there but no one else can see.”

       “What can I do about it?”

       “Iggy’s working on a cure…”

       “No Peter. I mean can I actually DO anything about the horrible things I’ve seen if they’re from the future?”

       He thought for a while. “I honestly don’t know, but if there’s a way you know we’ll do all we can to help you.”

       It wasn’t the answer she wanted, but it was better than nothing. 

       “What if this never goes away? What if there is no cure? I can't just keep clinging to Egon...”

       “Then you’ve got a leg up on the rest of us.”

       “What?! How??”

       “If it’s the past, there’s nothing you can do. If it’s the future then maybe you can fix things that could go wrong.”

       “And if it’s another universe or whatever?”

       “Then you get to see things no one else has. You just gotta learn how to harness it.”

       “I guess that makes sense...so why didn’t you guys come and get me sooner? I’m not angry, just hurt.”

       “We didn’t know where you were,” Egon answered with a little squeeze. “Your mother refused to tell us. We did everything we could to find you I swear.”

       “Wait... _she_ _knew where I was??!?”_

       Janine’s nails dug into Egon’s arms. He whimpered a bit from the pain but didn’t let her go. 

       “My mother let me rot in that place?? Why??”

       “No clue Red, but I think one of the first steps of your therapy is to confront her.”

       “Oh I’m gonna confront her alright! I’m gonna confront her till her ears fall off!!”

       As Janine ranted Peter went downstairs to let the Melnitz’ know where their darling daughter was. It proved unnecessary since Mama and Papa Melnitz were standing at Janine’s desk ready to read the Ghostbusters the riot act. 

 

       “I’m going to have the whole lot of you arrested! Kidnapping, breaking and entering, assault…”

       “Woah woah woah Ms. M...I get the kidnapping if she didn’t want to come with us, but the rest?” Winston interrupted, his hands up in surrender. Peter, Ray, and himself were downstairs trying to calm Doris as she screamed bloody murder. 

       “Well technically you guys did break into the institute…”

       “Not helping Ray. The point is Janine didn’t want to be there anymore, and honestly I can’t believe you’d let her be there. The place was horrible!”

       “You took her from trained professionals who were trying to help her and didn’t have the NERVE to tell her own family??”

       Peter, who amazingly had remained quiet, had heard enough. 

       “Shut it lady!  **You** kept her in a death trap  _ claiming _ to be a hospital. That  _ hell hole _ was making her worse! Did you even visit to make sure she was ok?” Peter screamed back. “Did you check out the place past the front doors?? Because Egon and Winston did and what they told us  **terrifying** . Patients left alone for DAYS. No food, no hygiene, no HELP. Janine was wrapped in a straight jacket and sitting in her own filth! How is that helping her??  **HOW???** ”

       Doris opened her mouth, ready to let out a scathing counter attack when her husband put a restraining hand on her shoulder. 

       “Let me handle this,” he said gruffly. 

       Frank Melnitz was usually a puppy in the body of a bulldog, except for when it came to his family. Just his size and voice was enough to intimidate most, but Peter wasn’t one to back down no matter who it was. They stood toe to toe for several long moments as everyone watched. Peter felt like his soul was being scoured for every lie and sin he’d never committed when Frank abruptly backed off. 

       “He’s telling the truth Doris. Our baby was in hell and we let it happen,” he said simply.

       Doris staggered back, alarmed. Her face went white.

       “She...she was? Oh...oh my goodness...my poor baby!”

       “Save it lady. If you really cared you wouldn’t have put her in that place to begin with! All they care about is money and you played right into their hands.”

       She sat down hard in Janine’s chair. Frank kneeled beside her and took her hand.

       “I did. Oh gods I did. That doctor said all the right things. I thought she was getting good help there,” she said sadly. “Can...can I see her? Does she want to see me?”

       Peter glanced up the stairs. Janine and Egon were standing there listening to the whole exchange. She shook her head sadly and walked away from stairs. 

       “That’s going to be a no from the judges.”

       Doris hung her head but nodded. “I understand. Will you tell her I love her?”

       Peter sighed and frowned. “Yeah. Don’t worry. We’ll take care of her.”

       Mrs. Melnitz slowly walked out of the Firehouse, leaning heavily on her husband’s arm. When she looked back Peter and Winston both gave her cold stares until they finally left, closing the door softly behind them. 

       “That woman is a piece of work,” Peter huffed.

       “She cares she just...I don’t know...isn’t sure how to show it?” Ray offered. 

       “Well, either way we have more important things to deal with,” Winston said, looking up as if he could see Janine through the floor. 

       The guys nodded in agreement and headed to the second floor to see what they could do to help Egon.

 

       “So you said you had it about 80% worked out?” Janine asked as she sat on Egon’s napping sofa while Ray held her hand. 

       “75.6% actually, but now that I can work with you I’m hoping to improve that. Basically I’m trying to narrow your psychic focus.”

       “...huh?”

       “He means that right now your abilities are kind of set on high, so it’s picking up everything. We want to try and turn it down to low.”

       She nodded her head but still didn’t really understand. All she wanted was a good night’s sleep and the voices to go away...and it wasn’t that she minded all of the attention, but she missed sitting alone and reading a good book or taking a long bath. Thankfully it only took several days and a lot of trial and error but Egon and Ray were able to come up with a sort-of fix. By hooking her up to the same machine that enhanced her, they programmed it to block out most of the shadows and visions, keeping the things that she saw in the present (or what she assumed was the present). The effect was temporary and she needed to have the procedure done about once a month, but it was painless. Things still appeared to her, and she never really figured out for sure what she was seeing, although Janine felt like maybe it was better not to think about it. The point was that she was mentally stable again, and Egon had stayed by her side the whole time. He had even somehow found the nerve to ask her out, which she originally thought was her abilities acting up until he took her hand and asked again. 

       Now, several months later, she was sitting at a posh little bistro with Egon, idly watching a formless blue light float down the street between the cars. 

       “Egon,” she asked, tearing her attention away from the ghost. ”Is it bad that I’m ok with everything that happened?”

       “No I suppose not, but why?”

       “Because in the end I’m with you,” she said, holding his hand in hers. 

       He smiled and kissed her knuckles. “A very good point. Do you know what you want to eat?”

       She reads over the menu, nodding to herself. 

       “I’ve been told the chicken piccata is delicious.”

       “Really? Who said that?”

       Janine smiled at him, knowing that he couldn’t see the deceased waitress floating just a few feet from her. 

       “A friend,” she smiled. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Letchworth Village was a real place that operated well into the 1990's. The treatment of patients was horrible and may didn't deserve or should have been placed there. It was also part of Geraldo Rivera's expose of mental health institutions in 1972. I highly recommend you watch it (if you can stomach it) so we can take action and keep things like this from happening again.
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letchworth_Village


End file.
